Method and apparatus for fulfilling purchases

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for fulfilling purchases is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure can include, for example, a portable communication device having a controller element that receives from an online system a barcode image as an object of acknowledgment of a product purchased from said online system, and presents on a display of the portable communication device said barcode image to complete a purchase fulfillment process by way of at least one among a visual inspection of the barcode image by a merchant employee and processing of said barcode image by a point of sale (POS) device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/424,273, filed Feb. 3, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/248,867, filed Apr. 9, 2014 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,600,812), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/692,714 filed Mar. 28, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,732,020). Allsections of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to portable communicationdevices, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for fulfillingpurchases.

BACKGROUND

Today it is not uncommon for a consumer to make a purchase online forproducts or services that can be redeemed locally by presenting a localmerchant a printed receipt from the online transaction. In suchinstances, the merchant can authenticate the printed receipt using apoint of sale terminal or by visual inspection. Movie tickets, airlinetickets, and other retail goods and services can be purchased in thismanner.

Although this approach has proven useful, inconveniences can arise whenthe printed receipt is lost, stolen, or misplaced. For example, amerchant may not readily allow completion of the online transactionwithout a printed receipt. In circumstances where the merchant can beflexible, it may take sometime for the merchant to validate thetransaction by other means (e.g., consumer pin number, driver's license,etc.), and the consumer may be required to pay a validation fee.

A need therefore arises for a method and apparatus for fulfillingpurchases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communications system;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a portable communicationdevice operating in the communications system;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary method operating in the communicationssystem; and

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system within which a set of instructions, whenexecuted, can cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide a methodand apparatus for fulfilling purchases.

In a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a portablecommunication device can have a controller element that receives from anonline system a barcode image as an object of acknowledgment of aproduct purchased from said online system, and presents on a display ofthe portable communication device said barcode image to complete apurchase fulfillment process by way of at least one among a visualinspection of the barcode image by a merchant employee and processing ofsaid barcode image by a point of sale (POS) device.

In a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a point of sale (POS)device can have a controller element that receives an object ofacknowledgment from a portable communication device. The portablecommunication device on the other hand receives said object ofacknowledgment from an online system responsive to a product beingpurchased from the online system. The controller element of the POSdevice completes a purchase fulfillment process associated with thepurchased product according to the object of acknowledgment.

In a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a online system canhave a controller element that distributes an object of acknowledgmentto a portable communication device to complete a purchase fulfillmentprocess by presentation of the object of acknowledgment to a merchant byway of the portable communication device.

In a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, a method can involve aretailer that completes an online purchase fulfillment process byaccepting an object of acknowledgment presented by a portablecommunication device of a consumer.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a portable communicationdevice 102 operating in portions of a communication system 100. Theportable communication device 102 in the present illustration canrepresent a multimode portable communication device such as a cellphone, laptop computer or personal digital assistant capable ofsupporting wireline and wireless communication technologies. In the caseof wireline communications, the portable communication device canutilize xDSL, cable, or PSTN telephony interfaces for communicating withnetwork 104 which can include hybrid technologies that supportcircuit-switched packet-switched communications. The portablecommunication device 102 can also support accessory interfaces such asUSB, Firewire, and other connectivity technologies.

Alternatively, or in combination, the portable communication device 102support any number of wireless communication protocols such as thefamily of 802 protocols defined by the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE). For instance, the portable communicationdevice 102 can utilize long-range wireless access technologies such as,for example, cellular, software defined radio (SDR) and/or WiMAX tocommunicate with networks 106. Cellular access technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, and nextgeneration technologies as they arise. Additionally, the portablecommunication device 102 can support short-range wireless technologiessuch as WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or cordless communications such asdigital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT). The portablecommunication device 102 can also incorporate a passive or active RFIDtransmitter and receiver for communicating with RFID-capable devicessuch as RFID readers.

Furthermore, the portable communication device 102 can access one ormore online systems 109 through network 104. Online systems 109 cancorrespond to one or more web servers operating as centralized ordistributed computing systems. For example, online systems 109 caninclude systems for product inquiry and sales quotes, orderconfiguration and order booking, order acknowledgment and confirmation,order sourcing and planning, order changes, shipment and delivery, andinvoicing and billing—just to mention a few. Other purchase fulfillmentsystems not described herein that can operate as online systems 109 forthe purpose of purchasing products and/or services can also be appliedto the present disclosure.

Additionally, the portable communication device 102 can be configured tointerface with one or more point of sale (POS) devices 112 managed by aPOS system 110 of a merchant. The POS system 110 can represent one ormore computing devices such as one or more servers that manages a numberof POS devices 112 utilized by merchant personnel to complete the salesof goods or services purchased from the online system 109. The POSsystem 110 can serve as a repository for recording purchase fulfillmenttransactions processed by the POS devices 112, and for managing saidtransactions in cooperation with the online system 109. The POS system110 can operate as a centralized or distributed computing system.

The POS devices 112 can be configured to support the wireline and/orwireless access technologies discussed above (e.g., USB, Bluetooth,RFID, WiFi, etc.) for the portable communication device 102. The POSdevices 112 can represent a scanner (e.g., barcode readers), credit ordebit card reader, cash register, or any other suitable POS technologythat can be used to interface with the portable communication device102. With this technology, the portable communication device 102 canpresent a POS device 112 purchase fulfillment information in the form ofimage, audible, a coded messages by wire or wirelessly means to completean online purchase transaction. The POS devices 112 can communicate withthe POS system 110 utilizing the same or similar wireline or wirelessaccess technology used to interface to the portable communication device102.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the portable communicationdevice 102. The portable communication device 102 can comprise awireline and/or wireless transceiver 202, a user interface (UI) 204, apower supply 214, and a controller 206 for managing operations thereof.The wireline and/or wireless technologies included in the transceiver202 can conform to the aforementioned short-range and long-range accesstechnologies. The UI 204 can include a depressible or touch-sensitivekeypad 208 for manipulating operations of the portable communicationdevice 102. The UI 204 can further include a display 210 such asmonochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for conveying images tothe end user of the portable communication device 102. The audio system212 of the UI 204 can utilize common audio technology for conveying andintercepting audible signals of the end user.

By way of the UI 204, the portable communication device 102 can presentpurchasing information in the form of audible, visual, or coded messagesto POS devices 112 and/or merchant employees 116. Audible messages canbe presented as speech or unintelligible tones (e.g., a sequence of DTMFtones, or some other form of modulated tones). Visual messages can bepresented by the UI 204 as artwork, barcodes, or other form ofpresentable purchase information such as receipts. Coded messages canrepresent receipts that are encoded with identifiers known to the POSsystem 110 of the merchant. The portable communication device 102 canalso be programmed to present combinations of these embodiments.

The power supply 214 can utilize common power management technologies(such as replaceable batteries, supply regulation technologies, andcharging system technologies) for supplying energy to the components ofthe portable communication device 102 to facilitate portableapplications. The controller 206 can utilize computing technologies suchas a microprocessor and/or digital signal processor (DSP) withassociated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or otherlike technologies.

FIG. 3 depicts and exemplary method 300 operating in portions of thecommunications system 100 such as the portable communication device 102,the online system 109, the POS system 110, and/or the POS devices 112.With this in mind, method 300 begins with step 302 in which one or moreonline systems 109 are accessed by a user with a common computing device(e.g., a home computer) with access to the Internet to make an onlinepurchase of one or more products available for pickup or servicing by alocal merchant. The computing device can also represent the portablecommunication device 102 previously described. That is, a consumerhaving a portable communication device 102 with Internet access can makein step 302 online purchases while in transit.

Regardless of the access method, the online transaction can be processedusing common web services techniques such as selecting goods or servicesfrom a catalog or menu and paying for such goods or services byelectronic means such as debit card numbers, credit card numbers or withthird-party payment systems (e.g., PayPal™). The term “products” as usedin the present context can mean physical goods available at a merchantlocation 111 or services or performances that merchants such ascontractors, professionals, tradesmen, or performers can provide to aconsumer. For example, products can include tickets for concerts,sporting events, and other performance-type events. In another example,products can include pre-paid services including maintenance services(e.g., oil change), insurance coverage (e.g., dentist or other MDappointment), and other arrangements in which payment can be provided inadvance for services.

The online system 109 can be operated by a commercially independentlyenterprise that supplies third-party sales services to the merchant.That is, a merchant can procure services from an online service providerby agreement with a fee sharing arrangement for sales consummated on theonline system 109. Alternatively, the online system 109 can be owned andoperated by the merchant. This latter embodiment can be useful tomerchants having the resources of a large enterprise.

Once a consumer has purchased an online product in step 302 as describedabove, a portable communication device 102 of the consumer can beassociated in step 304 with the purchase. Such an association can beaccomplished in several ways. In some instances, the consumer canproactively specify the portable communication device 102 to beassociated with the purchase. For example, during the online transactionthe user can provide a phone number or email address of the portablecommunication device 102 with the purchase.

In another embodiment, the online system 109 can be configured toautomatically associate the portable communication device 102 with theonline transaction based on prerecorded registration informationsupplied by the consumer while establishing a personal account on theonline system 109. In situations where a consumer is using the portablecommunication device 102 to make a purchase, the online system 109 canbe configured to identify the portable communication device 102 bycommon means (e.g., a caller ID, or login information), and therebyautomatically associate the transaction with the detected portablecommunication device.

Once the portable communication device 102 has been associated with thepurchase in step 304, the online system 109 determines in step 306 thecapabilities of the associated portable communication device (ACD) 102and the POS device 112 of the merchant that will supply the purchasedproduct. In some instances, the capabilities of the ACD 102 can bespecified by the consumer during the association step 304. For example,the consumer can specify whether the ACD 102 supports specific messagingfeatures such as short messaging services (SMS) or multimedia messagingservices (MMS). Additionally, the consumer can specify other availablefeatures, such as a speakerphone, color display, etc.

Alternatively, the capabilities for the ACD 102 can be determined byretrieving the capabilities of the ACD 102 from a database according toa model number supplied by the consumer. In another embodiment, theonline system 109 can be configured to automatically detect the type ofACD 102 from a communication exchange with the ACD, and thereby retrieveits capabilities from a database. Other methods for determining thecapabilities of the ACD 102 not described herein can also be applied tothe present disclosure. The online system 109 determines thecapabilities of the merchant's POS devices 112 from merchant suppliedinformation previously recorded in the database of the online system109.

In step 308, the online system 109 selects a format for an object ofacknowledgement (OA) that is compatible with the ACD 102 and POS devices112 of the merchant based on the determinations made in step 306. OAscan represent images, audio signals, coded messages, and/or associatedcomputer instructions in the form of a software routine that performspecific purchase fulfillment routines in the ACD 102 for interactingwith the POS devices 112. In cases where the online system 109 supportsmore than one merchant each with differing models of POS devices 112,the online system 109 can be programmed to select an OA that conforms tothe working specifications of the ACD 102 and the POS devices 112. Inother situations where the merchant can fulfill the online purchase byvisual inspection of the OA presented by the UI 204 of the ACD 102, step306 can focus instead on the specifications of the ACD 102 and thevisual format of the OA preferred by the merchant.

OA formats can be stored in the online system 109 or can be retrievedfrom the merchant's POS system 110. An OA format can comprise a barcodeformat compatible with a POS device 112 operating as a barcode scanner.Alternatively, the OA can be a coded sequence that the ACD 102 cantransmit directly to the POS system 110 without interaction with a POSdevice 112 (or by way of the POS device). The coded sequence canrepresent a binary or text message with or without encryption that caninclude information associated with the online purchase and can beutilized by the POS system 110 to close the transaction.

Once the ACD 102 capabilities and the merchant OA format preferenceshave been retrieved in steps 306 and 308, the online system 109 proceedsto step 312 where it generates the selected OA and delivers the OA tothe ACD 102 in step 314. Delivery can be over-the-air (OTA) or bywireline as previously discussed. For OTA transmission, the OA can bedelivered as an SMS message if it is a text or binary coded sequence, oras an MMS message if an image and/or audio with text or binary coding isincluded in the OA. Other wireless messaging formats of more or lesscomplexity can also be used. Images can be constructed from JPEG, GIF orother common imaging formats. Moreover, images can be still and/ormoving images. An audio message can be delivered as a MIDI or MP3 audiofile. Other audio formats can be used.

Once the online system 109 has delivered the OA to the ACD 102 in step314, the consumer can present the ACD 102 to the merchant's POS device112 in step 316. The POS device 112 can be located at a fixed merchantlocation 111 such as a building or other structure. In other caseslocation can be mobile. For example, tow-truck services offered at thelocation of the consumer's car. Therefore, the merchant location can bethe location where services are to be provided.

Depending on the ACD 102 and merchant requirements, the ACD 102 canpresent in steps 318-324 the delivered OA in several ways. In step 318,for example, the ACD 102 can be configured to present the OA to the POSsystem 110 by direct communications (e.g., coded sequence transmitted byACD to POS system), or by way of a merchant employee 116 that interactswith the POS system using a common terminal device such as a computerterminal to manually enter information associated with the OA. In thelatter embodiment, the merchant employee 116 can, for example, observe avisual representation of the OA from the UI 204 of the ACD 102. The OAcan provide purchase fulfillment information (e.g., a purchase code)which the merchant employee 116 can enter in the POS system 110.

Alternatively, the ACD 102 can be configured to present an OA to the POSdevice 112 through a wireline or wireless interface. For example, theACD 102 can be coupled to the POS device 112 using a wirelineconnection, such as a USB cable. In another example, the ACD 102 can becoupled to the POS device 112 by wireless means such as WiFi, Bluetooth,or RFID. With these methods, the OA can be transferred by the POS device112 to the POS system 110 which acknowledges the purchase and recordsthe transaction.

Alternatively, the ACD 102 in step 322 can be configured to present theOA as an image to the POS device 112 that scans the OA with a built-inoptical scanner. For example, the OA can be represented by a barcodepresented by the display 210 of the UI 204. The POS device 112 canoperate as a barcode reader that can scan the barcode and transfer thedecoded sequence to the POS system 110 for processing, purchaseacknowledgment and recordation utilizing common techniques. In anotherexample, the image presented to the POS interface can include thepresentation of one or more characters which can be read and interpretedby a POS device 112 using for example optical character recognition(OCR) techniques. The synthesized characters can then be transmitted tothe POS system 110 to perform the functions previously described. In yetanother example, the ACD 102 can present artwork associated with theonline purchase. The POS device 112 can utilize common image processingtechniques to scan and/or decode the artwork. The verification of theartwork can take place at the POS device 112, the POS system 110, or inpart at both systems 110-112.

Alternatively, or in combination with steps 320-322, the ACD 102 in step324 can be configured to present the OA as an audio message. Forexample, the audio message presented can be generated from a MIDI file,an MP3 file, or some other suitable audio format. In such aconfiguration, a POS device 112 can comprise an audio receiver tointerpret the audio message and transfer the deciphered information tothe POS system 110 for the purposes previously described. As previouslynoted, the audio message presented can be a DTMF tone sequence or otherform of a modulated audio signal that is not audibly intelligible to thehuman ear to maintain the exchange with the POS device 112 private.

Alternatively, or in combination with steps 320-324, the ACD 102 in step326 can be configured to present the OA as an image for inspection bymerchant employee 116. In this embodiment, the merchant can simplyinspect the OA as an image in the UI 204 of the ACD 102 to complete thetransaction. The merchant employee 116 can be trained to look at colormarkings, artwork, text information or otherwise.

In step 328, the merchant employee 116 or the POS system 110 can applyverification techniques to determine the validity of the OA. Forexample, in the case of a visual-only inspection (step 326), themerchant can minimize the risk of accepting a counterfeit OA byinstructing personnel of the online system 109, or by communicationsbetween the POS system 110 and said online system to periodically(perhaps daily) change the artwork of the OA, thereby increasing thedifficulty of sharing OAs, or creating counterfeits. In other cases, thePOS system 110 can be programmed to authenticate the OA by its format,its artwork, coded messages, or other suitable techniques forverification.

To further improve the validation step 328, the OA can also be formattedwith security features specified by the merchant or agreed to betweenthe merchant and online service provider. Such security features cancomprise indicia or coloring as noted earlier that can be readilyidentified by a merchant employee 116. For example, a warranty cardpresented to a repairman can include specific indicia or coloringindicative of a level of warranty coverage. In another example, ticketsfor a sporting event can include a particular design and/or be presentedin only one recognizable color. Security features such as these can beused when visual inspection of the OA is more practical and less costlythan using a POS system 110 with image processing capabilities. Othersecurity features such as including a password or an encrypted messagein the OA can be used by the POS system 110 or the merchant employee116.

If the OA is detected as valid in step 328, the purchase fulfillmentprocess is completed by the POS system 110 (or the merchant employee116), and the consumer is supplied the goods or services purchasedonline. If the POS system 110 determines that the OA is not valid, themerchant can notify the consumer that the product requested cannot bedelivered due to an authentication failure. If the transaction appearssuspicious, the merchant employee 116 can further inform security toanalyze the legitimacy of the transaction.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, to improve security,the OA can be formatted by the online system 109 with common digitalrights management (DRM) policy features. With DRM, the consumer cannotshare the OA. Moreover, the OA can be programmed to have an expirationdate at which it is automatically deleted by the ACD 102. Additionally,the ACD 102 can be programmed to transmit the OA in whole or in part tothe POS device 112 or the POS system 110 rather than present it throughthe UI 204. For example, a barcode image, audio file, text message, orlike OA-related information can be transmitted to the POS device 112 orPOS system 110 rather than presenting it on the display 210 or by way ofthe audio system 212 of UI 204.

These are but a few examples of modifications that can be applied to thepresent disclosure without departing from the scope of the claims statedbelow. Accordingly, the reader is directed to the claims section for afuller understanding of the breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 400 within which a set of instructions,when executed, can cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine can beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine can operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine can comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 400 can include a processor 402 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 404 and a static memory 406, which communicate with each othervia a bus 408. The computer system 400 can further include a videodisplay unit 410 (e.g., a liquid crystal display or LCD), a flat panel,a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system400 can include an input device 412 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 414 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 416, a signal generationdevice 418 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 420.

The disk drive unit 416 can include a machine-readable medium 422 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 424)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 424can also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 404, the static memory 406, and/or within the processor 402during execution thereof by the computer system 400. The main memory 404and the processor 402 also can constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that can include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 424, or that which receives and executes instructions 424from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 426 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 426 using the instructions 424. Theinstructions 424 can further be transmitted or received over a network426 via the network interface device 420.

While the machine-readable medium 422 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape; andcarrier wave signals such as a signal embodying computer instructions ina transmission medium; and/or a digital file attachment to email orother self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one ormore of a machine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listedherein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, inwhich the software implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments can be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes can be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland can not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter can be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations comprising: detecting an online transaction associated with acommunication device; selecting, according to a type of thecommunication device, a format for an object of acknowledgmentassociated with the online transaction; generating the object ofacknowledgment according to the format; and providing the object ofacknowledgment to the communication device for presentation to amerchant device associated with a fulfillment process for the onlinetransaction.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise detecting the type of a communication device.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determiningcapabilities of the communication device, wherein the selecting of theformat for the object of acknowledgement is further selected accordingto the capabilities of the communication device.
 4. The device of claim3, wherein the determining of the capabilities of the communicationdevice is based on the type of the communication device.
 5. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determiningcapabilities of a merchant device remote from the processing system,wherein the format for the object of acknowledgment is further selectedaccording to the capabilities of the merchant device.
 6. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the online transaction includes a transfer of funds. 7.The device of claim 1, wherein the object of acknowledgement isauthenticated at the merchant device.
 8. The device of claim 1, whereina digital rights management policy prevents sharing of the object ofacknowledgement with another device.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein adigital rights management policy causes the object of acknowledgement tobe deleted according to an expiration date.
 10. The device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise associating the communicationdevice with the online transaction based on information previouslyprovided by the communication device.
 11. The device of claim 1, whereinthe object of acknowledgment includes information associated with anaudio signal.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein the object ofacknowledgment includes instructions to perform a fulfillment routineincluding a transfer of funds to a merchant system associated with themerchant device.
 13. The device of claim 1, wherein the operationscomprise providing the object of acknowledgment for display at a userinterface of the communication device.
 14. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage device comprising executable instructionswhich, when executed by a processing system including a processor,facilitate performance of operations comprising: initiating an onlinetransaction; receiving, from a server, an object of acknowledgmentaccording to a type of a communication device responsive to theinitiating of the online transaction; and presenting the object ofacknowledgment at a display for capture by a merchant device associatedwith a fulfilment process for the online transaction.
 15. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein theoperations further comprise providing, to a server, informationassociated with the communication device.
 16. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the informationincludes user input captured while establishing an account, and whereinthe information is recorded on a database accessible by the processingsystem.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim14, wherein the object of acknowledgment includes instructions toperform a fulfillment routine associated with the communication devicebeing communicatively coupled with the merchant device.
 18. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein theobject of acknowledgement is authenticated at the merchant device.
 19. Amethod comprising: detecting, by a processing system including aprocessor, an online transaction associated with a communication device;selecting, by the processing system, a format for an object ofacknowledgment associated with the online transaction, wherein theformat is compatible with capabilities of the communication device; andproviding, by the processing system, the object of acknowledgmentaccording to the format to the communication device for presentation toa merchant device associated with a fulfillment process for the onlinetransaction.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: detecting,by a processing system including a processor, a type of thecommunication device that is remote from the processing system; anddetermining, by the processing system, the capabilities of thecommunication device based on the type of the communication device.